Counting relay system



July 17, 1951 J. F. SCHOUTEN ETAL ,0

' COUNTING RELAY SYSTEM Filed Feb. 12, 1949 S age One J'tdjfe 70o INVENTOR. QMNIREDERZK SCHOUJIN AGENZ'.

Patented July 17, 1951 COUNTING RELAY SYSTEM Jan Frederik Schouten and Nicolaas Rodenburg, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors to Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Hartford,

Conn., as trustee Application February 12, 1949, Serial No.

In the Netherlands March 3, 1948 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a circuit-arrangement comprising two relays to which pulses may be supplied by way of a contact device, which arrangement is designed in such manner as to resume its initial position after two pulses.

An arrangement of this type, termed counting element hereinafter, may, for example be used whenever a definite operation is to be performed by closing a contact and is subsequently to be restored by closing the contact again. This may, for example, occur in consultation arrangements for automatic telephone systems.

Another possibility of application of a counting element is the use as a frequency divider, since the relays of the arrangement are energized only once to every two pulses supplied to the element.

Circuit-arrangements are known in which a number of counting elements in a cascade-arrangement are combined to form an arrangement by means of which the number of closures of a pulse contact can be registered in the form of a combination of energised relays which is characteristic of this number, the number of pulses being expressed in the binary system in such a sense that the first counting element represents the number of units, the second counting element represents the number of twos, the third element represents the number of fours and so on, a non-energised counting element counting zero and an energised counting element counting one. The number of pulses which may thus be recorded by a counting arrangement comprising 12 counting elements is 2"l not including the combination in which all the relays are in the state of rest.

In supplying pulses all combinations are traversed successively sothat the number of pulses which may be recorded is equally 2" I.

Circuit-arrangements of this type may, for example, be used in a register for automatic telephone systems to register the number of dialling pulses transmitted by a subscribers apparatus or to set a relay unit of such a system. Another possibility of application is in the field of electric calculating machines.

The counting elements used in known arrangements comprise relays having two or three windings. However, the two relays of the counting element according to the invention each comprise only one winding so that the construction of these relays may be simpler and normal telephone relays may be used. Another advantage over known arrangements is that the changeover contacts associated with the relays of the counting element according to the invention need not be of the makebefore-break type.

The invention is characterized in that a seriesconnection of the winding of the first relay, a make-contact of the first relay and the winding of the second relay is provided between the terminals of the supply and in that the contact device, if the second relay is not energised, is connected in parallel with the series-connection of the first-mentioned make-contact and the winding of the second relay, this contact device, upon energisation of the second relay by means of breakand make-contacts of the second relay, being connected in parallel with the series-connection of the first-mentioned make-contact and the winding of the first relay.

Furthermore the invention provides a counting arrangement, in which a number of counting elements is connected in cascade in such manner that the contact device of a next counting element is formed by the series-connection of a break-contact of the first relay and a makecontact of the second relay of the preceding counting element.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into efiect it will now be explained more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, given by way of example.

Figs. 1 and 2 represent diagrammatically counting elements according to the invention.

Fig. 3 illustrates how a number of counting elements may be connected in cascade.

Fig. 4 shows the sequence in which the relays of the circuit-arrangement represented in Fig. 3 supply pulses to the arrangement.

The counting element shown in Fig. 1 comprises two relays, of which the first relay I comprises a make-contact la and of which the second relay 11 comprises change-over contacts 2a and 2b. The ends P and S remote from one another of the windings of relays I and II are connected to different terminals of a supply (not represented). In the state shown in the drawing the two relays are not energised.

The operation of the circuit-arrangement is as follows.

If pulse contact 1' is closed, the relay I is energised by way of the break-contact of change-over contact 2a and 2b. By closing contact la a holding circuit for the relay I in series with the winding of relay II is prepared. Relay II is not energised, since its winding is short-circuited by way of contacts la, 2a, i and 2b. This short-circuit is removed on opening pulse contact 12. so that relay II in series with the winding of relay I and contact la likewise receives current and the change-over contacts 211 and 2b are changed over. i

On the contact pulse i being closed again th winding of relay I is short-circuited by way of contact la, make-contact 2a, pulse contact i and make-contact 2b, due to which relay I is deenergised and contact la is opened. However, relay II is held by way of make contact 2a, pulse contact i and make-contact 21) until this circuit is interrupted by opening of'pulse contact 1'.

The circuit-arrangement of the counting element shown in Fig. 2 differs from the circuitarrangement shown in Fig. 1 in that the makecontact of change-over contact 2a is connected to point P instead of point R, and the makecontact of change-over contact 212 is connected to point R instead of point P: The operation of the circuit-arrangement shown in Fig. 2 corresponds to that shown in Fig. 1, since pulse contact i is connected between the same points both in the energised state and in the de-energised state of relay II.

The cascade arrangement of counting elements shown in Fig. 3 comprises two counting elements and in addition the contact device of a third element. It is obvious that the series may comprise an arbitrary number of counting elements.

The counting elements shown in Fig. 3 substantially correspond to the counting element shown in Fig. 1. However, the first relay I of each counting element comprises a break-contact lc which, in series withmake-contact 2c of the second relay II, constitutes the contact device of the following counting element. In the embodiment represented the pulses are supplied to the first counting element by way of pulse contact 2'. These pulses are shown in Fig. 4a. Figs. 4b and 40 show the time intervals in which the relays I1 and H1 of the first counting element are energised. Relay I1 is energised from the beginning of the first pulse till the begining of the second pulse (t1tz), relay IE1 being energised from the end of the first pulse till the end of the second pulse (t1-tz). The contact device I01, 201 of the following counting element will be closed during the time inwhich relay I1 is in its state of rest and relay H1 is energised. From the drawing it appears that this will be true during the time intervals t2-t3, tci7 and so on. These time intervals are shown in Fig. 4d. Consequently the 4 break contacts, means to apply an enrgizing p tential between the input end of the first relay winding and the output end of the second relay winding, and a pulsing switch connected between the movable arms or said second and third switches, the output end of said first winding .a first relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating a first switch provided with a movable arm and a make contact, a second relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating second and third switches each provided with a movable arm and make and break contacts, means to apply an energizing potential between the input end of the first relay winding and the output end of the second relay winding, and a pulsing switch connected between the movable arms of said second and third switches, the output end of said first winding being connected to the arm of said first switch, the input end of said second winding being connected to the make contact of said first switch, the make contact of the second switch being connected to the input end of the second winding, the make contact of the third switch being connected to the input end of the first winding, the break contact of the second switch being connected to the output end of the first winding, the break contact of the third switch being connected to the output end of the second winding.

3. A pulse counting binary device comprising a first relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating a first switch provided with second pulse of the first counting element corresponds to the first pulse of the second counting element, the fourth pulse of the first element corresponding to the second pulse of the second element and so on Similarly the second pulse of the second counting element corresponds to the first pulse of the third counting element, and the fourth pulse of the second element corresponds to the second pulse of the third element and so on (Fig. 49)

Naturally, the cascade-arrangement of counting elements may also be created by means of counting elements shown in Fig. 2 or with the use of a combination of counting elements shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

What we claim is:

l. A pulse counting binary device comprising a. first relay including a winding having input andoutput ends actuating a first switch provided with a movable arm and a make contact, a second relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating second and third switches each provided with a movable arm and make and a movable arm and a make contact, a second relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating second and third switches each provided with a movable arm and make and break contacts, means to apply an energizing potential between the input end of the first relay winding and the output end of the second relay winding, and a pulsing switch connected between the movable arms of said second and third switches, the output end of said first winding being connected to the arm of said first switch, the input end of said second winding being con-' nected to the make contact of said first switch, the make contact of the second switch being connected to the input end of the first winding, the make contact of the third switch being connected to the input end of the second winding, the break contact of the second switch being connected to the output end of the first winding, the break contact of the third switch being connected to the output end of the second winding.

4. A pulse counting binary, device comprising a first relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating a first switch provided with a movable arm and a make contact, a second relay including a winding having input and output ends actuating second and third switches each provided with a movable arm and make and break contacts, means to apply an energizing potential between the input end of the first relay winding and the output end of the second relay winding, a pulsing switch connected between the movable arms of said second and third switches,

16 the output end of said first winding being con- 5 nected to the arm of said first switch, the input end of said second winding being connected to the make contact of said first switch, the make contacts of the second and third switches being connected between the input ends of both wind ings, the break contacts of' the second and third switches being connected between the output ends of the windings, said first relay further including an auxiliary switch provided with a movable arm and a break contact, said second relay further including an auxiliary switch provided with a movable arm and a make contact, and an output circuit including means connecting the auxiliary switches of the first and second relays in series relation, whereby said auxiliary switches provide a closed circuit when said first relay is deenergized and said second relay is simultaneously energized.

JAN FREDERIK SCHOUTEN. NICOLAAS RODENBURG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

